Last year, Dan Dakich was at the unfortunate intersection of the Kelvin Sampson fallout — and the issues Sampson’s kids had both been dealt and had created for themselves — and Dakich was the one that eventually kicked Armon Bassett and Jamarcus Ellis off the team. Given that history, color me surprised that Dakich would come out in such vehement defense of those players on the radio … but that’s exactly what he did on his Indianapolis-based radio show a little while ago.

Thanks to the Hoosier Scoop, we have the audio (as well as Chris Korman’s incredibly thoughtful take) here. Give it a listen.

“He came in and he cleaned house,” said Hillman, who played on the 1987 championship team. “He got rid of all those punks and bad guys, and just said, ‘Hey, this is the way we’re going to do it. We’re going to take some lumps, but we’re going to do it the right way.’

Dakich’s response:

“While Joe Hillman was playing golf at a country club, Jamarcus Ellis was living in a car.”

That, my friends, is what we call getting sonned. Joe Hillman, you may take your seat.